1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an information processing device such as that which is typically represented by a compact personal computer, word-processor and the like.
2. STATEMENT OF THE RELATED ART
With a recent progress in terms of the semiconductor technique, information processing devices such as personal computers, word-processors, and the like have been being miniaturized. Under this existing circumstance, all-in-one type portable data-processing devices, each of which contains a keyboard 1, a display means 2 and a printer (not shown) adapted to effect printing on a print paper 3, also, have recently been widely used. Further miniaturization has thus been being demanded.
Conventionally, a serial printer of heat-transfer type, which is low in cost and small in power consumption, is adopted for such type of portable data-processing devices.
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an ordinary structure of the serial printer, the structure including a carriage 6 having loaded thereon a printing head 4 and an ink ribbon cartridge 5. The carriage 6 is reciprocatingly moved in the direction indicated by the arrow A while it is being guided along a guide shaft 10 by means of a belt 9 stretched between a drive pulley 7 and a driven pulley 8. Printing on the print paper 3 is effected by causing an electric current to pass through the printing head 4 while the carriage 6 is being moved.
With the above-described arrangement, however, the lateral width of the data-processing device as indicated by a dimensional line B in FIG. 1 is equal to or greater than a sum of the length of stroke of the carriage 6 and the width of the carriage 6 or the ink ribbon cartridge 5. This imposes a limitation upon the miniaturization of the device, as a problem. Another problem also exists that a reduction in lateral width of the device causes a reduction in stroke length of the carriage 6 resulting in a reduction in the printable width range as well.